By rdnewsNOW staff

open next week

Blue Grass Central Spray and Play to open July 9

Jun 29, 2020 | 8:30 PM

The City of Red Deer says the Blue Grass Sod Farm Central Spray and Play and the Lava Rock at Kin Kanyon are scheduled to open for the season on July 9.

The boat launch at Fort Normandeau is expected to open July 1.

“We are excited to welcome citizens to our free outdoor aquatic features, where feasible to do so within the regulations set by Alberta’s Medical Officer of Health,” said Sarah Tittemore, General Manager of Community Services. “The public can expect to see enhanced cleaning and sanitizing of public washrooms, as well as increased access to hand sanitization stations when we re-open.”

Blue Grass Sod Farm Central Spray and Play is designed as an enviro-friendly amenity with a recirculating water filtration and disinfection system. No different than a swimming pool, the amenity must pass a series of stringent water tests prior to opening. These water quality requirements result in an extended timeline to open in comparison with spray parks in other communities that may open immediately.

Citizens are reminded that the splash park is an unsupervised amenity. Pre-registration is not required but City officials ask that users respect the 100-person capacity limit on outdoor gatherings.

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“We continue to work with our many user groups to understand demands and needs for recreation and culture spaces and places throughout the summer and heading into the fall,” said Tittemore. “We continue to make the best decisions possible based on the information we have at the time, and while operations may look different in the upcoming months, we do look forward to welcoming our customers back as they enjoy everything from the outdoor splash park to outdoor fitness classes.”

At this time, public health orders and restrictions remain in place with The City of Red Deer continuing to assess and adjust operations based on these requirements.

RELATED: Discovery Canyon closed for rest of 2020

The City says the decision to keep Discovery Canyon and outdoor pool closed for the season comes following a thorough assessment with support from Alberta Health Services (AHS). The City says current restrictions and recommendations from AHS mean “there would be substantial financial implications and the customer experience would be significantly impacted if these amenities were to open.”

“Restricting public access to Discovery Canyon to less than 100 people with thousands of daily visitors would require significant capital and operating investments”, said City Manager Allan Seabrooke. “We could open these amenities; however, we cannot do so without modifying the physical amenities themselves as well as our standard operations. This would involve significant investment, exceeding $100,000, for physical modifications, engineered controls and increased staffing levels. Even with these adjustments, the user experience would be very different from that which our customers have come to expect. Additionally, this cost is unnecessary at a time when we are working to plan for and manage the potential tax and economic impacts already stemming from COVID-19.”